Animal rights activists have launched a protest campaign and filed a criminal complaint against Bolu Municipality’s animal shelter after photos showing dogs chained under the snow were released on social media site Twitter.

One dog froze to death and many became ill due to poor conditions in the shelter, Animal Rights Federation (HAYTAP) volunteers said.

Ege Sakin, a HAYTAP volunteer who visited the shelter on the night of Jan. 14, told the Hürriyet Daily News over the phone yesterday that dozens of dogs were left alone, chained on frozen concrete when they found them.

One dog reportedly died after it was left outside in the freezing cold. DHA photo

One of the dogs was already frozen to death, its body lying in the snow, Sakin said.

Sakin said, “1-meter chains were used to tie them, which were not enough to let them hide in the cages. The staff of the shelter did not let us in when we arrived there. We called the mayor of Bolu, but he did not respond as well. Then we called the police and entered the shelter.“The image was shocking. They tried to hide the awful situation, but dogs had obviously been left to die,” Sakin added.

HAYTAP Spokesperson Şule Baylan said the shelter was a “torture center.”

“They [municipal officials] closed the doors and made changes inside despite our calls. We launched a legal action against those responsible,” Baylan was quoted as saying by the Doğan news agency yesterday.

The responsible veterinarian of the shelter, Koray Kolludemiroğlu, denied the allegations and said everything was normal at the shelter. Kolludemiroğlu also said “the photographs shared on Twitter were fake,” over the phone to the Daily News.